Witnesses in a northeast Nigeria village where officials say at least 187 people were killed in an assault by the military and Islamic extremists said soldiers purposefully set fire to civilian homes, directly contradicting the government’s claims.

The witnesses spoke to foreign journalists who arrived under a military escort to Baga, a fishing village along Lake Chad. The violence there on 19 April marked the worst attack linked to Nigeria’s Islamic insurgency.

Residents said soldiers hunting militants targeted civilians in their retaliation. That directly contradicts government officials, who have been trying to downplay the killings.